I have been dieting to get my weight down and running to speed the weight loss and to also increase my cardio abilities for my grappling class. My classes r tu/th/sat, two hours long. By wed or thurs night, I am running out of energy, I feel tired during the day and at night. Here's my training: Mornings I run 1 mile at 6am (pretty much every morning). On the above listed days I train. I also get about 2 free weight workouts a week. In the morning after my run, I eat one egg. for lunch, I usually eat 1 plate from the salad bar and a chicken breast, evening is usually a small amount of food. I also usually have a cup of milk with whey protein in it during the night.I want to lose weight, increase cardio, but not be so wore out I can't train by wed or thurs.Looking for advice from other m/a guys (or girls) who have been through this.thankskell

In My Kickboxing Class We Do Alot Of Cardio. We Have Normal Classes On Mondays And Wednesdays But On Fridays We Do An Hour Of Cardio, Sure It Makes You Tired But The More You Do It The More You Get Used To The System. In My First Class Of Cardio It Really Felt Like I Was Going To Die, I Couldn't Keep Up With My Classmates. As I Went To Classes I Got Used To It And Could Keep Up With My Classmates. Your Body Builds Up More Energy After Cardio, The Next Class Of Cardio You Would Have More Energy Than The Last Class.

KBR, I have been only doing this running regimen for 3 weeks. Im thinking maybe I shud add either a litl more protein in my diet (maybe an xtr egg n the morning) or maybe a piece of whole grain bread. I know its workin cuz Ive lost close to 12 pounds and my "run out of gas" factor has improved greatly.See, another thing is Im 37 yoa, so I dont have as quick of a recovery time as a younger dude. There is a difference when ur older (not an excuse, I dont need em, lol), in recovery time. BUT, u r right that as the time goes by I am getting stronger. I was grappling with a much bigger guy then me (im 5'9, 200) and b4 he was wearing me out, and worked him into the ground the other night. BOY, that felt good, to see the improvement.Thanks, for ur help, kel

It sounds like you are not eating enough, or you are doing too much exercise or both.

You shouldn't feel tired in the morning also it sounds like you are not getting enought EFA's or vitamins, you want to get loads of fruit down your neck, certain seeds, nuts etc. such as pumkin seeds are good.

Remember you should only aim to lose about 1% of your body weight per week, with the exercise you are doing and the small amount you are eating you will probably get ill soon and then you will have to take time off to recover.

OK, thanx for the help. I'll make sure to eat the fruit and seeds, I'll give the coq10 a try. Is there a rec. daily allowance?I've upped my intake of calories some...., litl more protein (eggs) and some heavy brown bread (not much bread tho). Plus i've quit running on the days I train, so we'll see. I'm sure I'll see more improvement once I get the blance of food/enrgy/cardio/training correct.Thanks for the new advice, we spend most of our time on the mat so it wears my 37 year old ass out. lolkell

Your not taking in enough calories for the amount of exercise your doing. Everyone needs a minimum number of calories each day to sustain bodily functions. If your not getting these calories your body will take what it needs to survive from some place else. Your first thought would be that it will take it from fat, but it's not. With the diet you are on your not maintaining proper blood sugar levels so your body is taking what it needs from your lean muscle. You may be hurting your self more than you are helping. Try either a low carb diet with exercise or find out what your resting metabolic rate (RMR) is and what your daily caloric needs are.

A low carb diet will help you loose weight faster in the beginning and will taper off when you reach the maintenance portion of the diet. Your energy level may suffer in the beginning due to the low level of carbs, about 20 grams per day for 2-3 weeks. In the end you will be eating a more well balanced meal.

Using your RMR and daily caloric needs to loose weight can be a harder diet for some to follow since you have to give so much of the foods you love. Your daily caloric needs will always be more than your RMR. If you are trying to loose weight you will eat less than your daily needs but more than your RMR, to maintain weight you will keep your caloric intake close to your daily needs and so on. Eating 3 meals a day with a snack in between ( 5 small meals total) will help maintain your blood sugar levels so your body will use your fat stores and not take nutrients from the lean muscle.

example: Your RMR is 1739 calories and your daily caloric needs are 2435 calories. To loose weight you must be well below 2435 calories and above 1739, staying in the area of about 1900 calories. This with a good exercise program will help your loose weight properly, provided you maintain your blood sugar levels.

These numbers are only for the example. Your daily needs are more than likely closer to 2950 or so and your RMR may be about 1974. Research some fitness sites on the net or find a personal trainer for just 3-4 sessions, long enough to get a meal plan or advise on what may be best for your situation. Remember one hour of moderate martial arts training burns more calories than an hour of high impact aerobics, about 100 more give or take.

I was following some of the ideas, less exercize, more fruits, smaller, but more frequent meals. I was losing the weight, increasing my Vo2, etc. and then we had to start getting ready for Hurricane Charley. It came through Bartow, Polk county, Florida, and has really made a mess of the place. I think Charley came right up US-17 and hit my city. We've been working hard since fri night. This is the first real Hurricane I've been through. I've been without power since fri night (and it's now Monday morning). I've discovered how HOT Florida really is in the summer. Luckily my PD has power (and internet, lol). Our telephone lines are down, and cells are jammed up, so I havent been able to call to see if my Dojo is even standing (quite a few buildings aren't). A neighboring city, Lake Wales, has had to use Orlando, Lakeland, and Tampa SWAT teams because of the looting. But, my family (and that of my wife's) made it through with no injuries or worse, so I feel blessed. I would like a SHOWER tho, lmao.Kell

sounds like youre overtraining if youre tired all the time.cut down your long runs (if you do long runs)to 3-4/ week. and sub in 2 days of windsprints. i find that a hard anaerobic workout kicks up the metabolism.

im 165lb lean regularly but i fight at 150lb. im not the kind of guy who can lose weight easily bc im lean as it is but on my normal running program and diet i can lose the 15lbs in about 6-8wks.